Category: 3DS

I love my 3DS, but I have noticed over the years that there’s one game category that’s sorely lacking from the games presented, and it’s a genre that I not only enjoy a great deal but one that lends itself very well to hand held devices.

Of course I’m talking about visual novels.

These types of games are still sort of new to mainstream Western gamers, sure they’ve been around but in very limited spurts as we wait for translations and development. It wasn’t until recently that Steam started carrying a greater selection, and even then a lot of the more popular ones are either created just for Playstation (think Vita), or stand alone on the PC. Even if you speak Japanese and don’t need to wait for a translation getting your hands on a copy here in Canada can prove difficult.

I’m sure Nintendo has a good reason for avoiding the genre, it’s not exactly “family friendly” which is what I typically associate with Nintendo games (I know there are exceptions) but I really think there’s a market for them that is being missed.

In the meantime I just live vicariously through my friends who own a Vita and the few titles that trickle down to steam – if you enjoy VN games don’t forget to support developers and let them know that you want to keep seeing them! I realize they’re not everyone’s favourite, but it’s important to support development so that we continue to get the content that does make its way to this part of the world.

I haven’t had a whole lot of time to game lately, so I was really happy when I picked up this 3DS game called “Tamodochi Life”. I had never heard of it before, but a friend was writing about it on Anook and G+ which piqued my interest. It’s a casual game where you create / import Mii’s to an island where they live. You’re in charge of solving their day to day issues, such as providing them with clothing, food, and playing games with them. It’s a bit like a watered down version of sims, without the building.

It also reminds me a lot of Glitch, because these Mii are absolutely bonkers. You never know what’s going to happen, or what odd dreams they’ll have. You earn rewards for your museum, or items that you can give them. There are two types of items, one goes into their inventory and will add said item to their room every so often as you peek in on them (for example, rent a cat, or a dog, and when you peer into their window they may have a visitor) and the other items are one time uses that provide the Mii with a bit of fun, like the fan pictured above. You level the Mii up as you provide for them, and they’ll lose experience if you don’t give them what they want.

You also unlock portions of the island as you play, there’s an amusement park, a lot of shops, beaches, and a cafe. So far I’ve had a LOT of fun playing this game. Of course it helps that I imported some friends via QR code, and I also imported some “celebrity” Mii from the official site. These Mii are a one time only download, and include people like Shaq (who is best friends with another of my Mii).

If you’re looking for deep thought provoking game play and in-depth story, you probably won’t find it here, but if you’re looking for a casual cute game you can dip into when you’re looking for something light, I highly recommend checking it out.

Here are some of the games that we think deserve to be in the hall of everlasting fame. With amazing graphics and extreme online multiplayer challenges, these games make it to the very top of our lists for consoles, such as the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS.

DragonQuest Monsters – Joker 2

Released by Square Enix, this is the fifth game in the DragonQuest franchise. Gamers need to explore wild areas and tame wild monsters. Once tamed, the monsters can be put to fight against others in turn-based combats. This game rocked the world of the Nintendo 3DS handhelds upon its release in 2011. The game is a role-playing game with online multiplayer modes as well. DQMJ2, on the other hand, makes great use of the Nintendo 3DS’s dual core ARM11 CPU.

The game makes use of the 3DS’s Wifi connectivity feature to connect to the online world. The gamer can play online tournaments, collectively called the Monster World Championships. Each online player has a unique code that others can use to connect to him or her. Online, one-on-one fights or practise matches can also be held with registered buddies. Practice fights are also playable with random online players. A maximum of eight players can connect to each other.

Mass Effect 3 – Special Edition

If there is one game franchise that kept the adrenalin pumping till the very end, it has to be the Mass Effect Series. Mass Effect 3 – Special Editions for Wii U was released by Bioware, the makers of Epic games such as BioShock. Mass Effect makes great use of the Wii U’s gamepad. Complex commands can be issued at the touch of a button and the results can be quite fun to watch on the screen.

The game puts the player in the shoes of Commander Shepard, who is the only one who can save the Earth from imminent annihilation. The storytelling is incredibly interactive, and the special edition comes with some unseen new features and content to keep the gamer engrossed until the very end. The online missions are available in co-op and multiplayer modes, and allow the player to play with multiple players during co-operative missions. The gameplay can be highly customised and the Nintendo console brings out the best in the game.

With the amazing graphics and level of interactivity that consoles and handhelds have to offer, playing these MMO online games with the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U takes the excitement to a different level altogether. In case of 3D games, one should consider the option to enjoy great 3D graphics with the Nintendo 3ds, as Nintendos are one of the best and reputed names in the video-gaming industry.

I’ve wanted a 3DS for quite some time, and my other half finally gave in and bought one for me about two weeks ago. I’ve had a LOT of fun playing with it daily, and it feels really nice to have a hand held that’s “just for me” as it were. I’m picky about my games – and nintendo offers a nice collection of games that I’ll actually play. There is also an XBox and a PS3 here, but the last game I played on the XBox was Fable 3, and I don’t remember the last time I used the PS3 for more than just Netflix. I used to play Mario games with my Mom growing up, while my Dad was doing his late night radio show. I have fond memories of eating ribs together and getting my younger brothers to beat the harder levels for us. Of course one of my first purchases for the 3DS would have to be a mario game. Actually it was more like my 3rd purchase, but I’ll talk about the other ones in a bit.

I am absolutely loving this game. It was a bit hard for me to get used to the 3D option when I first started playing, but as long as I’m not playing hours at a time (and these days I never am) it doesn’t seem to bother me too much. I can’t get over how amazing things look with the 3D option turned on, it really IS 3D! It makes my mind boggle, to put it bluntly. Looking at the screen without needing any glasses at all is wonderful. I’ve only beat the first world so far, but I just got the game a few days ago, so that’s not bad.

I don’t have a very large collection of games yet, my other two favorites are Super Scribblenauts (and this is for the DS not the 3DS), and Harvest Moon. The 3DS was a bundle that also came with the newest Zelda game, but I haven’t played it yet so I don’t really have any idea about how it is. I’ve never played any Zelda games, actually. My other half has though and seems to enjoy it quite a bit.

Aside from the fun I’m having with games, I really like the camera and camera options. I took the 3DS with me to a hockey game, and red turns out VERY well in 3D, it just so happens that hockey jerseys for my home team come in red, and so now I have a bunch of 3D images of that game saved to the SD card that came with the device. I have also been having an incredible time playing with the “AR Cards” that comes with the 3DS. These cards are just amazing. You place a flat piece of card board on a table with a question mark image on it and using the 3DS suddenly that question mark comes to ‘life’ and all of these amazing 3D images happen based around it. Suddenly you’re not looking through a screen at a camera but you’re fighting a dragon that’s popped up out of your coffee table. Maybe it’s just that simple things amuse me, but I could stare at these illusions for hours and never tire of them. I have five cards right now, and I’m wondering if there’s any way to obtain more.

I’ve also played with Netflix a bit, but the load time and screen reaction is quite slow, so I’d rather just watch it on the Ipad 2 or my PC. Once I got the show I wanted to watch playing it was nice and smooth, but I just felt that the interface was a bit lacking.

Over all? I’m incredibly pleased with the purchase. I love wandering around with the device in my purse, hoping to come across other “mii” who have streetpass on. I’ve only found a few so far, but I don’t venture very far from home so that is probably why. I’m thinking of picking up a pokemon game, I’ve always been interested and have played the card game a few times but never any of the video games. I was thinking of the black or white pokemon games that are out there. Anyone have a suggestion?

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

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